Roses in the Dark
by MissHikaHaru
Summary: Haruhi has dreamed of joining the Ouran Guild for years, but when she finds out what it's really like she's had enough before she's even started. The only thing of interest seems to be the charming boy with raven hair, eyes like midnight behind shields of glass. You'd think roses in the moonlight might be romantic, but no flower can really grow in the dark, can it?


_Hope you enjoy the read :D_

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Havenbrook was a quiet enough town, making its quaint streets and green gardens a perfect contrast to its star attraction among young ladies; the Ouran Guild. Situated at the very centre of the lazy cerulean Lake Willow, surrounded by forever blooming buds of a beautifully kept rose orchard, the only possible way to reach it – for its lack of bridge or path – was by magic. As such, a person merely has to sit – content – upon the edge of the quay, legs hanging down and toes dabbling in the pleasantly cool blue water, and whistle; just once. An enchanted boat carved to become an elegant white swan will swim towards you, slender neck arched and strong, with snowy feathers soft and gliding through the still surface of the water.

It was in such a boat that I now sat, twisting my fingers in my lap, with heart thumping loudly. On the lake in similar boats there were girls laughing and chatting, all about my age, each with a different coloured rose in their hands. Some were pink, others purple, a few with petals of a surprisingly dark shade of blue. As my boat cut cleanly through the water, faster than the others by my insistency to arrive, I passed a pair of girls who held a rose of both orange and pale blue. The most common colour, as I continued to look around, was white; clear and crystalline, like virgin snow. I saw no red, anywhere – the most common, and my favourite, rose colour – even when my swan had bumped gently ashore and I had clambered out; I patted its majestically carved white head, and it gave a ruffle of its feathery tail of a rudder.

As my bird-boat glided dreamily away I stood and held a hand to my eyes against the blinding sun, casting a silhouette of the tall building before me. At last, I was here; the only Guild I could ever wish to enter. I smiled, before taking a breath and pushing open the decorative double doors.

"Welcome," six mellow voices greeted me, and a flurry of differently coloured rose petals flew towards me on wings of Magic air, twirling around me and kissing my skin with their smooth touch as I turned about in dazed circles. I could already sense the sweet aroma of Magic. The sheer strength of it made me almost giddy.

"Ah, a new arrival."

Heart fluttering in my chest, I turned my head to see them; the Ouran Magic Guild. I frowned. They were all boys. There wasn't a single girl in sight. The only thing not specifically male was a beaming pink rabbit, who was being held in the arms of a small boy with hair more golden, and face more bright than the sun; a pink rose was tucked behind his ear. Beside him was the tallest, a broad-shouldered, stoic, muscular boy with hair blacker and more ruffled than a raven's feathers; an indigo rose blossomed from the buttonhole of his studded leather jacket, which – I noticed – sported a shining silver pocket-knife. In front of him, standing on either side of a sort of throne, was a pair of russet-haired boys so identical in both appearance and stature that I felt sure I was seeing double. Devilish grins sparked like electricity upon their matching faces; an orange rose filled the pocket of one, a blue rose for the other. Beside the blue-rosed twin – for that is what I supposed them to be – was the one with spectacles pushed high on the bridge of a thin nose on a pale face, dark grey eyes like midnight shadows shining out at me; his hair was dark as night as well, purple petals just peeking from his pocket.

"Hello, there, my princess."

My eyes, wild with curiosity, turned at last to the boy to occupy the golden throne. He was unrealistically handsome, in both face and voice. Eyes bluer, clearer and more shining than the enchanted lake I had just crossed, his smile was more charming and clean than the stars. His hair was like golden wheat, lustrous and full. A pure white rose was held towards me, inviting me to approach.

For a moment I paused. I could feel something almost strange, as if a pair of eyes were watching me with more intent than the others'. I scanned their faces, and locked eyes with the black stars of the bespectacled boy almost as soon as I looked at him. The unnatural connection lasted almost an age to my mind, as - for whatever reason - neither one of us wanted to draw away our gaze.

"First time here, is it?" the handsome blonde boy asked, one eyebrow raised, and I hastily looked at him.

"Yes," I replied, "and I hope it's not my last."

The boys, save for the two with dark hair, laughed; the taller remained silent and unaffected, the one with glasses fixing me with an interested gaze; out the corner of my eye I saw him produce a small black book. He with the fetching face rose to his feet, walking towards me with a wide smile. I couldn't help but frown, just a bit.

"I'm sure it won't be," he said in a hushed voice as he drew closer, virgin bloom outstretched, "dear princess." He bent his glossy head toward mine, flashing a smile of dazzling white teeth. "I dearly hope we may meet again, for every day for always, for the power of Magic about you…" He extended a well-manicured hand, delicately stroking my cheek; I flinched a little, but let no other sign of discomfort flicker within my face. I'd dealt with his type before, so I knew exactly what to do. "…has bewitched my very soul to your beauty."

"No more than your own has to me," I said in a sweet voice, accepting the pure white flower from his fingers. I smiled shyly as I batted my eyelids, and he returned it; I heard two synchronised groans, and exaggerated retches from the others, seeing the tawny-haired twins rolling their eyes at one another. My smile turned into a smirk, and I clenched my jaw. "You big idiot."

Before he could react accordingly, a spark flared from my fingertips, the petals of the rose in my hold flushing scarlet like a ruby blush.

"Rose Warp; Thorny Fist!" I bellowed, thrusting the now-crimson bloom above my head. All eyes were fixed on me, the darkest pair with most curiosity, as thorny ropes of green stem burst from my skin, wrapping tight around my arm like a lacerating green glove. The rose span, very fast, atop my balled fist and began to sink into my skin so it became submerged with flesh and bone.

Nothing happened.

Then, the twins burst into raucous bouts of laughter, which was soon cut short into shrieks of surprise as the rose and emerald wrapping around my skin ruptured, bolting high into the air and shattering a lamp. The thorned flower rose an rocketed back down in a sharp arch, petals twisting and writhing to become a scarlet fist, shooting straight for the blonde boy's face.

His eyes widened at the last second. Silence settled as he fell back dazedly to lie in a heap on the floor, petals scattered all around him; great, fat, salty tears were welling in his eyes – knocked in difference directions by my Rose Warp. The twins began clapping their hands in tumultuous applause, cheering.

"You're so awesome!"

"Yeah, you should totally come be one of our customers!"

I frowned.

"Customers?" I repeated, confused.

"You mean to say you didn't come here to be entertained?" the one with glasses asked, as he pushed them further up his nose. I turned my eyes on him, lingering on his face. I didn't say anything for a while.

"No…" I said. "No, I didn't."

"Strange," he said, frowning himself. "But stranger still that you are able to use magic, as well as coming to us."

"Is magic so odd for a Guild as powerful as I've heard you are?" I questioned him, folding my arms. "I think the strange ones here are you."

"Too right," said the twins, their applause subsided. For a moment I stared at them, for they had spoken at the exact same time, without uncertainty of any kind. They nodded, together, towards the boy I had felled with a single – simple – attack. "Tamaki's the weirdest of the lot."

"Tama-chan's not the brightest star in the sky," the little blonde boy giggled, and I looked at him, "because that's me!"

I opened my mouth in question, but the bespectacled boy explained ahead of time.

"Honey-senpai's form of magic is light," he said, a slight trace of distaste in his voice. "As it happens, he's also the human incarnation of an enchanted dwarf star; people call him the Sun Slayer." I secretly thought the name 'Dwarf Star' perfectly resembled a boy of his size, although calling something so seemingly innocent 'Slayer' didn't fir his appearance at all; as if to combat this further, he swayed his shoulder from side to side, fixing his big honey-brown eyes on me with the most adorable stare I had ever seen.

"But…when you say," I hesitated, "_customers_, what do you mean by it?"

"To tell the truth, you're the first young lady in a very long time to come here who has a single spark of magic in them," the bespectacled one said, settling his midnight gaze on me with mild fascination.

"Really? Why's that?"

"We make our living not through quests for jewels," he continued, scribbling a small word in his little black book. He snapped it shut. "Rather the entertainment of young ladies with way too much time on their hands."

_What?_

"And you do that…how?"

"With magic, you dunce," the twins said, rolling their eyes. The way they spoke in perfect tandem was so unnerving.

"You mean to tell me that I travelled _all the way here_…" I said through gritted teeth, my hands balling into fists, "just to find that the Guild I've dreamed of joining for years does nothing but pull a few cheap magic tricks for money!? Uurgh, that's _it_! I'm outta here!"

"No!"


End file.
